30 lines
1.4 KiB
Markdown
30 lines
1.4 KiB
Markdown
# Raw Source: SOUL.md Introduction & Methods — Approach A (Official / Pragmatic)
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Source: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/personality
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Source: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/use-soul-with-hermes
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Type: official documentation (Nous Research / Hermes Agent)
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Confidence: high (primary source)
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Date collected: 2026-09-25
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## Summary
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SOUL.md is the agent's primary identity file at `~/.hermes/SOUL.md` (or `$HERMES_HOME/SOUL.md`). It lives at slot #1 of the system prompt — the first text the model sees before any user message. It defines tone, personality, communication style, and how the agent handles uncertainty, disagreement, and ambiguity.
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## Key rules
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- Load path: ONLY from `HERMES_HOME` (never from cwd).
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- Never overwritten by Hermes; starter file auto-seeded if missing.
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- Empty/missing file → falls back to built-in default identity.
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- Scanned for prompt injection before inclusion; content injected verbatim after truncation.
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- Stable identity: durable voice, not project-specific rules.
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## What goes in SOUL.md (official recommendation)
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- Identity / who the agent is
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- Style / how it communicates
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- Avoid / stylistic prohibitions
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- Defaults / behavior under ambiguity
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## What does NOT go in SOUL.md
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- Project conventions → AGENTS.md
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- File paths, repo rules → AGENTS.md
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- Tool preferences / commands → AGENTS.md or config.yaml
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- Memory / user context → MEMORY.md / USER.md
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